Erdogan: US sanctions on Iran threaten regional security and stability

Erdogan:
US sanctions on Iran threaten regional security and stability

Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at a joint news conference with his Iranian
counterpart Hassan Rouhani in Ankara during the 5th meeting of the Supreme
Council on Strategic Relations: US sanctions threaten regional security and
stability. We will stay with our brothers in these difficult days when unjust
pressure is mounting against Iran.

Erdogan
said he had last met with Rouhani at the Turkey-Iran-Russia trilateral summit
last September 7. “We are pleased that relations between the two countries
have grown in recent years, especially in the security and political
fields,” Erdogan said.

He noted
that in bilateral talks with Rouhani on trade and economic relations, regional
developments and current issues, he added: “We consider US withdrawal in
spite of Iran’s commitment to our commitments inaccurate.” US sanctions on
Iran threaten regional security and stability. We reiterate our disapproval of
this American policy and think that it is not a boycott that bilateral talks
are the solution.

Referring
to the decline in economic ties between the two countries in 2017, Erdogan said
the two countries aim to reach $ 30 billion in trade volume. “We will
expand cooperation between the two countries and there are many steps that
Turkey and Iran can take to end conflicts and bring peace to the region,”
the Turkish president said.

He said
about US sanctions against Iran: 77 Turkish companies in Iran have invested
about $ 1.5 billion so far and still continue their activities. On the other
hand, many foreign companies that said they would not abide by US sanctions on
Iran had stopped their activities in Iran before they were implemented.

Erdogan
also said: “No one should think that we will cut off our economic and
trade relations with Iran because of sanctions against it.” I believe we
can turn sanctions on Iran into an opportunity to strengthen bilateral
relations. We must prevent the US sanctions against Iran from deterring us from
achieving our goals.

At the end
of his remarks, the Turkish president, while reading the poem, “Friendship
tree that will bear fruit / Sow enmity seed that has suffered enormous
suffering”, expressed his hope for the growth of the friendship tree
between Turkey and Iran and the removal of the enemy seed.

In the
end, the Turkish President emphasized the development of Turkish-Iranian
cooperation in all fields over the coming years.